jbm79

I felt insulted! I need to bring my ES300h to the dealer due to the body side molding that they installed coming/peeling off. The rear molding did not have enough clearance from the front door when they installed it, so it caught the front door, damaging the molding as well as part of the front door.

So I waited 3 weeks for the dealer to order the molding and to be installed. The lady from the dealer body shop emails me back and tells me she could "only get a Corolla as a loaner." Of course, I declined and asked the sales manager to arrange for another loaner vehicle. I told the manager "Truth be told, I did not expect to be offered a Corolla as a loaner!" Waiting for the manager's response.

LexBob2

How long will they need your car to put the molding back on? If it's only a day or so a Corolla might not be a big deal. If longer, I agree that something nicer - like a Lexus - would be better.

jbm79

Sorry, but I disagree: even if for only a day, I think every Lexus owner should be treated better than being offered a Corolla loaner. On my 5K service, which took 4 hrs, I did get a Lexus loaner. They intend to keep the vehicle for about 2 days to replace the molding, so I expected the same Lexus treatment.

I feel that getting a Lexus loaner is part of the "premium" we all paid for this brand. It's like buying a business-class airline ticket: I expect better than being offered a bottled water or a can of Diet Coke I don't think I'm being unreasonable about this.

Anyway, the sales manager had intervened and arranged for my Lexus loaner.

rogers2

No offense but I probaly would have laugh you straight out of the dealership. Driving a Corolla for a day wouldn't have killed you.. I use to feel the way you feel but now I could care less. My car cost 2 times more than yours and if the Mercedes dealership gave me a Corolla as a loaner I would still be happy. At least it's great on gas...

Oh well everybody is different...
.
On second thought Silver Spring Lexus in Md should provide Lexus loaner. They're constantly overcharging me

wasjr

I agree with jbm79. I expect a Lexus loaner at a Lexus dealership, just like I get an Acura loaner when I take my MDX in for service. What may have happened is that the dealer has an in house body shop and uses Toyota loaners for the body shop customers. However I would still expect they would offer their Lexus customers a Lexus.

Out of curiosity I checked with my dealer and they always use Lexus vehicles. They schedule the loaners and will tell the customer when scheduling service if none are available.

Dave Mac

The body shop which most often deals with insurance companies which don't have the same thinking about providing a Lexus owner with a Lexus loaner may just find it less confusing to use Corolla loaners. The service department with Lexus rates operates differently. The Lexus owned body shop I use provides all owners loaners through Enterprise - no Lexus and I don't think ever free.

Dave Mac

jbm79

Whover said the issue is about getting killed?
IF I paid $100K for a Mercedes and I had to bring in the car for something that's the dealership's fault, I would DEMAND a Mercedes loaner. But then again I guess that's just me.

It's about convenience (or inconvenience in this situation). The dealership is the one who did an awful job in installing the moldings. I had to take time out to take my car to them (inconvenience), and not being able to use it for a few days (inconvenience). And then, to add salt to the injury, offer me a smaller vehicle. Afterall, isn't the Lexus motto: "Pursuit of Perfection"?

Of course, it would be a different story if my reason for bringing my vehicle to the body shop is due to my fault; then I would gladly take any car as a loaner.

Cheers!

pheonix72

iTrader: (6)

WHS+1000! You are being unreasonable. It called "Lexus Courtesy*Vehicles" and "it is a complimentary*loaner*vehicle" so they could offer whatever they want or have available.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Perhaps they ran out of Lexus loaners be it poor scheduling of appointments or just really busy with service and recalls etc... I know my dealer had to contact Enterprise for loaner vehicles for a day when they were overburdened with appointments. Either way if you're adamant about getting a Lexus loaner, just have some paitence while they locate one for you.

corradoMR2

I can relate to jbm79 arguing on the matter of principle... but if I genuinely see they ran out for exceptional circumstances as Hoover2411 states, one must try to be reasonable and level-headed and accept a "lesser" car for the day. I've always had ES loaners over the past 10 years, but only once it was a Camry (nice) and another time a Suzuki XL-7 (dont ask).

SW17LS

I've owned Lexus vehicles for many years. I have a couple of times been given loaners that were not Lexus loaners, typically rented from Enterprise because the dealer was OUT of loaners at the particular time I was there.

Would I prefer a Lexus loaner? Sure. Do I really give a rats *** about it? Not really. At the end of the day its a car to drive around in for a day while mine is in the shop...whats the big deal? I think the issue here is that its being done through the body shop. I had the windshield replaced on my previous 2010 ES at a Lexus dealer body shop and was given a Nissan loaner. It was explained to me that they don't have access to the dealer's fleet of Lexus loaners for service because the body shop while it was a part of the dealer was a different entity. What I was driving wasn't a loaner at all, it was a rental they provide to body shop customers that they typically charge for but that I was getting for free. I drove off happily in my Nissan. Body shops don't have "loaners".

I think the OP needs to get some perspective and understand that sometimes business realities are what they are.

Kansas

The body shop where I live that is owned by the same large corporation (Hendrick) that owns the local Lexus dealership does not provide loaner cars but has an Enterprise car rental operation onsite. I would expect, however, to be provided with a no-cost loaner of some brand if I was having warranty work done there. Normally body work done under warranty is done through the Lexus dealership itself without the owner having direct contact with their body shop operation.

The Lexus dealer itself provides loaner cars but in the 24 years I've been driving Lexus LS cars, the Lexus dealer has not provided a comparable Lexus loaner vehicle to me one single time. For one thing, they don't use LS cars as loaners - only fairly low equipped ES and RX vehicles. When they have been out of Lexus loaners, I have been provided with a car from Enterprise - e.g. a full size Cadillac sedan.

The ES350 loaner I was provided by the Lexus dealer last June was the first Lexus loaner ever that had navigation. Still, it didn't have notable features (e.g. power seat belt anchors) that have been standard on the LS since the early 1990's. I was so insulted! ;-)

Before 1990 when I was still on the Mercedes bandwagon, the local Mercedes dealer (Aristocrat Motors) had a fleet of identical compact Chevys for loaners. Imagine dropping off your $85,000 (that was "real money" back then) 560SEC and getting a sub-sub-$10,000 4-banger Chevy to drive!

SW17LS

The dealer I bought the GS from (and also have used for service for a long time, although I have non-warranty service done at my independent nowadays) has been experimenting with providing a like kind loaner for the past couple years.

They have several LS's they only give to LS owners. They have RXs and GXs they give to SUV drivers, they have GS, ES & IS cars they give to GS, ES & IS owners. They have CT & RXh loaners they give to hybrid owners.

Their goal is to be able to offer a customer something at least in the same class as what they brought in. As a GS owner for instance I may be given an ES or IS or a GS (typically only if I requested a GS since there are only a couple in the fleet). I can request an SUV if there are no demands from SUV owners that day.

All loaners have navigation.

I was talking to the service guy about it and he says the goal was to stand out from the other dealers (there are 5 within 30 miles) because they only really have ES's and IS's. He says people absolutely do complain...biggest issue is when you expect an LS owner to drive an IS because of the size comparison, or a GX or LX driver to drive a sedan. I was given a CT when I was there for my 10k and the guy apologized profusely because it was all they had at that particular time. Didn't bother me...it was a set of wheels.

bc6152

I wouldn't care what vehicle I was given. Every other car I had before this Lexus, warranty or non-warranty, you were on your own. Wait for a bus or ask someone to help you out with a ride. Sometimes - EEK - walk!

SW17LS

I also kind of like it when I'm given a lower end loaner, makes me appreciate my car more

That was always a bummer when I had the ES. I would put it in for service and get the exact same car back as a loaner.